FAST AMINOS WELLNESS
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Home workout

Shoulders

Stronger, rounder shoulders with bodyweight and light weights.

Exercises
5
Total sets
16
Time
25–30 min
Equipment
Water jugs or dumbbells

The workout

Warm up first: 3–5 minutes of marching in place, arm circles and a few easy bodyweight squats.

  1. Pike Push-Up

    4 sets6–12 repsRest 90 sec

    Hips high in an upside-down V. Bend your elbows and lower the top of your head toward the floor in front of your hands.

    Level up: Put your feet on a chair.

    Photo coming soon

  2. Shoulder Press

    3 sets10–12 repsRest 90 sec

    Use dumbbells, water jugs or a loaded backpack. Brace your core and press straight overhead.

    Level up: Lower for a slow 3 count.

    Shoulder Press, start position
    Start
    Shoulder Press, finish position
    Finish

  3. Lateral Raise

    3 sets12–20 repsRest 60 sec

    Dumbbells, water bottles or a band. Lead with your elbows and stop at shoulder height.

    Level up: Hold at the top for 2 seconds.

    Lateral Raise, start position
    Start
    Lateral Raise, finish position
    Finish

  4. Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise

    3 sets15 repsRest 60 sec

    Sit on the edge of a chair and lean over your knees. Raise your arms out wide with light weights or bottles.

    Level up: Add a 2-second squeeze at the top.

    Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise, start position
    Start
    Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise, finish position
    Finish

  5. Upright Row

    3 sets12–15 repsRest 60 sec

    Dumbbells or a band under your feet. Pull up to chest height with your elbows leading.

    Level up: Use a slower lowering.

    Upright Row, start position
    Start
    Upright Row, finish position
    Finish
The 45/30 rule

Lift for 45. Then 30 minutes of Zone 2.

45min

Resistance training

Builds and preserves lean muscle, so more of the weight you lose comes from fat, not muscle.

30min

Zone 2 cardio (LISS)

Low-intensity steady state at about 60–70% of your max heart rate: a brisk walk or incline treadmill. This is the intensity range where your body's fat burning peaks.

Why the order matters: resistance training draws down muscle glycogen and releases stored fat into your bloodstream. Research shows steady cardio started within about 20 minutes of lifting burns more fat than the same cardio done on its own. And because Zone 2 is low-stress, it burns extra fat and calories without the recovery cost of high-intensity cardio, so your muscles keep the energy they need to recover and grow.

Find your Zone 2: about 60–70% of your max heart rate. At age 40 that's roughly 108–126 bpm for men and 102–120 bpm for women. No watch? Use the talk test: you can speak in full sentences, but you couldn't sing. Calculate your Zone 2 →

Fat loss still comes down to your daily calories and protein, so get your numbers. Research: Goto et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007.

Pick the right version

Choose a version you can do for the listed reps with 1–2 good reps left. Too easy? Use the Level up.

Progress each week

Add reps, slow down the lowering, or move to the Level up version when the top of the range feels easy.

Protect your muscle

Especially while dieting or on a GLP-1: train 2–4 days a week and hit your daily protein target.

Know your protein number?

Training builds the signal; protein supplies the material. Get your daily calories and protein target in about 2 minutes.

Find my numbers →
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